


Forever Feeling

by PetrichorIllusions



Category: Kaleidotrope (Podcast)
Genre: Bodyguard Hal, Drew is a prince, Harrison is a matchmaker, Matchmaker AU, Other, don’t expect me to know anything about royalty, tags will likely change even I don’t know what’s coming, what could possibly happen next?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:00:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23854993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PetrichorIllusions/pseuds/PetrichorIllusions
Summary: It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single prince (eventually to be) in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.That’s what the tabloids say about him, at least, though Drew himself is less sure. Still, there’s no argument to be had when a Royal Matchmaker is brought in.As for Harrison, he’s just trying not to die of the excitement that he’s going to get to matchmake a Prince.[A royal/matchmaker au]
Relationships: Drew/Harrison
Comments: 11
Kudos: 30





	Forever Feeling

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sherlockscotts](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sherlockscotts/gifts).



> So back in June 2019, Jules said, what if there was an au where Drew was a prince and Harrison was a matchmaker, and THEN she said I could try and write it 😍 anyway it’s been almost a year, but to give me some encouragement to write more of this, here is the start. We’ve spent so many lovely hours talking about this au, and all concept credit goes entirely to her. 
> 
> (With added thanks to CrayolaRainbow for title help - sorry I didn’t call this Dave)

Once upon a time, there was a prince. He was well liked across the land, known for his wit and introspection. He was not next in line to the throne, though the ascension was not a far cry away. He had parents who loved him, off in a remote, regal kind of way, and he had been given more free reign than his forebears before him. He had chosen to educate himself - not, as he predecessors had, in the art of warfare, but instead in the intricacies of communication. He had studied hard, and had his family been the type to show pride, they would have. 

On completion of his studies, he had returned to the family home, attempting to put the privilege he had been gifted to the best possible use. 

His family are not convinced of his happiness. They worry about him, in that regal way, and it’s clear there is but a single way to fix the problem. 

“Who the _fuck_ thought it was a good idea to get me a _matchmaker?”_

His voice is low, and any passer-by might see only serenity, a light conversation with his chief bodyguard. 

“What the _fuck_ , Hal.” 

She’s not so unprofessional as to pull a face at him; at least, not in this public setting. She’s not surprised when he pulls them off into a side room up the corridor, a conference room by technicality. 

“Was it my dearest father?” 

“Drew…” 

“No, come on, I deserve to know. Who’s hairbrained decision was this?” 

“It might not be such a bad thing-“ Hal ventures. 

“Yes, what an _excellent_ use of public funds; what a good, necessary expense.” 

“There’s something to be said for the moral boost that might come from the Darling Prince finding love,”

She’s not wrong, unfortunately, and Drew knows it, and knows exactly that this is why she’s his bodyguard. 

“There might also be a boost in homophobic hate crime,” He mutters. 

“The numbers aren’t too bad, actually,” Hal says lightly, and Drew stops, dead. 

“Whose idea was it?” He asks again, an edge in his voice now. 

“Your grandmother’s.” 

Hal watched as the emotion drops off Drew’s face, as he scrapes it all down and locks it away. 

“Right.” He says, voice tight. 

“Drew-“

He closes his eyes for a moment, and when he opens them again, the whole argument has disappeared. _Drew_ has disappeared. There’s only the Prince, ready to serve his country as best he can. 

— he still remembers the first time Hal had realised it was an act, had told him he didn’t have to do this in front of her. It had taken her longer to realise it wasn’t just a public persona, that it’s a protection of himself, his true self, rather than a protection of his role —

He nods to the door, knowing she won’t let him precede her even if he tries. She looks at him, for just long enough that he has to look back, and then she follows orders. She sees him slump, barely perceptible, and takes longer to check the hall than strictly necessary. When she turns back to him, his composure is back. 

The Prince wears his regality for the rest of the day, and it sees him well. It has bourne him through far worse an occasion than this. He lets it go only when he is safely ensconced within his own rooms, the threat of any other person diminished. He sinks back into himself as he sinks into the chair in the corner, and he gets roughly three deep breaths in before there’s the softest of knocks on his door. 

Not for the first time, he curses Hal. 

He opens the door to find his grandmother, and the sight of her knocks the rest of the ice off his heart. She reaches out to cup his cheek in her parchment hand, whispering his name in what could be an admonishment or an apology. He steps back to let her in, and she closes the door behind her. He’s about to offer to put the kettle on, but she’s a step ahead of him as always, and gets there before him. When he’d first returned from university after his first term, he had required some changes to be made. The kitchenette is by far his favourite of the physical ones. 

He remembers a night like that before he’d had all that, another one where his grandmother had been trying to talk him into something, or perhaps out of something. This seems small, but comparison, and yet -

And yet maybe this too is the rest of his life. 

“I didn’t suggest it just for the good of the land, you know.” She tells him, once they’re sat down with their tea. She’d hushed him as it brewed, and he’d swallowed all his thoughts. Now that both the tea and their thoughts have steeped, she goes on. 

“This isn’t a punishment. I won’t pretend that there aren’t benefits to this that don’t relate to you directly, but they aren’t all this is about.”

“Couldn’t you have just _asked_ me?” There’s a note of desperation in his voice, but she doesn’t acknowledge it, expression remaining serene. 

“What, for you to argue until you finally accept a miserable proposal, and are unhappy forever for the ‘good of the land’?” She raises an eyebrow at him, daring him to argue. “I know this isn’t what you would have chosen for yourself, my sweet boy. And if you don’t find anyone, then that will be okay, truly.”

“It seems like such a waste of resources.” He tries, knowing that it’s the only argument still standing. 

“Then you’d better keep an open mind, hadn’t you? You wouldn’t want all this to be for nothing, hm?”

He gapes at her, and there’s a wryness to her smile now. 

“Drink your tea,” she tells him, and proceeds to change the topic entirely, telling him of a meeting she’d had with a duke today. 

By the time their teas are finished, he no longer feels so thrown. Yes, he still thinks it’s a waste of time and money and effort, but if his grandmother has suggested this, it’s for a reason. She takes his hand in her own again before she leaves. 

“Remember what I said, Drew. This isn’t a punishment. And it isn’t a test, either. There are no right answers. Just follow this—” she taps his chest, right over his heart— “and if anyone has any problem with that, you send them straight to me, alright?”

“Fine,” He says, smiling despite himself. “If nothing else, it might cause a few scandals.” She shakes her head, bidding him goodnight, and once the door is locked behind her he sinks back into his armchair. 

It looks like it’s time to find himself a husband. 

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve barely started the rest of this, so any encouragement to keep going will be greatly appreciated!


End file.
